Chapter 11
In this chapter Ralph and his small tribe confront Jack, and Piggy is killed as a result. Summary In chapter 11 the final death of the story occurs; the death of Piggy. This is possibly the most serious death in the story as we meet Piggy right at the beggining within the first few pages, emphasising the severity of the situation. Ralph and Jack battle, and Ralph is left with nothing, stranded as an outcast in the forest which was once scary and the home of the beast, but is now the last resort for Ralph. Characters Ralph cannot light a fire and with his last reliable resource gone, he is forced to confront Jack. With Piggy's influence on his decision, Ralph decides to take the conch and attempt to get Piggy's specs back. Usually, Ralph would probably create a plan rather than simply try and ask for the specs from a maniacal overlord, but owing to his loss of everything, Ralph no longer seems to care about anything. At Castle Rock, he orders Jack to return Piggy's specs but this fails and Ralph ends up fighting with Jack before Piggy is killed and Samneric are captured. This complete failure means that Ralph has lost everything but his life. Jack has become incredibly powerful now and does not fear Ralph. In addition to this, his tribe has been manipulated into doing exactly what he tells them too. Upon seeing their former chief, they instinctively throw rocks at them and Roger does not hesitate to kill Piggy. In an actual fight, the powerful Jack is not able to overpower the mentally crippled Ralph, however, his tribe manages to drive him off after capturing Samneric and smashing the conch. Finally, Jack has indisputable and complete control. Another child abusing his power here is Roger who used to not be able to bring himself to hit littluns with stones and now kills poor Piggy with a giant boulder purposefully. All the while, former members and supporters of Ralph's tribe are attacking him. Nobody seems to have any shred of humanity left except for Ralph. Setting Their temporary home at the beach is no longer a tribe whatsoever, rather, it is just a beach again. With no fire, law or many people they are simply lost again. Jack's raiders have no fear attacking such a vulnerable area and when they do so, it means that nowhere on the island is safe any longer for those Jack wants to be rid of. In contrast, Castle Rock is now very much a castle of rock. Defended very well, it is near inpenetrable and the tribe within is far mightier than Ralph's ever was because of the new and violent way that they are living. Because of this huge power inbalance within the island's tribes, the island itself is no longer a tropical haven but a place of fear and constant threat. Themes and Writing Style Once again, similar themes of anarchy and leadership resurface, similar to the earlier death of Simon. During the confrontation we also get an insight into just how bad the dispute between the two sides is an the anger and hatred between the two leading boys; Jack and Ralph. Anarchy and the hatred that comes with it is shown in this chapter through the actions of the boys on both sides when Ralph confronts them at castle rock. 'Jack wrenched free and struck at Ralph with his spear' is the sentence used at the start of the physical conflict between the two leaders. It conveys the anger between the two boys as they are both trying to kill each other and also signifies anarchy as the previously stable system has fallen to disarray and violence. Leadership, a key theme throughout the entire book, reaccurs once again in this chapter as we see the balance tipped and how much power Jack really has. We see this through that fact that Jack no longer cares for Ralph and sees him as scum who he does not want to talk to. When Ralph calls for a meeting (his previous method of asserting control) no one listens and this definately emphasises his lack of power. Conclusion and Final Comment Overall, this chapter really strikes home the contrast in the story, and how circumstances have changed by killing off one of the main characters in the story. Jack is now a powerful ruler and controls the boys with the promise of hunting and violence which appeals to their primative instincts. Rational Ralph is no longer in control and is seen as and outcast, he has also lost everything, including his reliable advisor and close friend Piggy.